Nothing is More Important This Moment in
History by Ron Jacobs
www.dissidentvoice.org
January 24, 2007

George
Bush's State of the Union speech provided every single US resident that
opposes the war in Iraq with a reason to take that opposition into the
streets. His argument that ending the US military involvement in that
nation would lead to extremists running the world is nothing new, but his
insistence that this would create an environment that provided "an
emboldened enemy with new safe havens, new recruits, new resources and an
even greater determination to harm America" is certainly a step up in his
rhetoric. According to Mr. Bush and his advisers, the withdrawal of US
troops from Iraq would spell the end of the world for all freedom-loving
Americans and place them in a never-seen-before danger.

To put it as bluntly as possible and without
obscenities, let me say HOGWASH! The withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
would not spell the beginning of the end of the world as we know it. Nor
would it mean the eventual rule of Osama bin Laden and his band of
zealots. Instead, it would provide the Iraqi people of all political
stripes an opportunity to take control of their nation. No longer would
there be US troops staging military operations in their cities and
villages. No longer would there be US military commanders and spies
running a war to suit Washington's ends while creating a climate that
killed 34,000 Iraqis last year alone. No longer would there be
Washington's economic experts trying to force the IMF neoliberal economic
formula down the throat of Iraq's sickly economic system. no longer would
there be sham elections that the people stand in line to proudly vote only
to have their votes mean less than the votes for Al Gore did in the 2000
Florida presidential balloting.

Indeed, a US withdrawal might even spell the
end of the ability of Salafist and Wahabi networks in Iraq to maintain
their battle against the United States. After all, it is to the benefit of
these Islamist cells for the US troops to stay, since it is the presence
of the US troops that fuels their sectarian war on everyone with whom they
disagree. In fact, a US withdrawal would certainly increase the chances
that the truly nationalist forces currently fighting in the resistance
would be willing to engage in political battles more than military ones
since their primary goal of making the invader and occupier leave would
have been achieved.

If I were an Iraqi, I would be quite
insulted by Mr. Bush's speech. His supposition that there would be a
"contagion of violence" if US troops were to leave because extremists from
all sides would battle sounds a hell of a lot like he is calling most
Iraqis extremists bent on battling until their country is destroyed.
ignoring the obvious fact that there has been a contagion of violence in
Iraq since the US/UK brought it there in March of 2003, Mr. Bush's
implication is a crude interpretation of the Orientalist fantasy that all
Arabic people are violent and bloodthirsty. Of course, this fantasy was
developed by European invaders who came intent on conquering Arab lands
and took great pride in the spilling of Arab blood. Now, if someone
invaded where you live, don't you think you might take up arms against
them, especially if they killed you women and children without remorse?

But this piece isn't really about Mr. Bush.
It's about Congress. You know, the folks we in the United States elected
in November to get us out of the war in Iraq. Well, they're backsliding
already. Mr. Bush's little burst of the same old 911, terrorism, Al-Qaeda
rhetoric the night of January 23rd might fog up their politician brains
even more. Our job is to not let that happen. Our job is to make sure it
doesn't happen. Out job is to insist that those men and women in Congress
end the war in Iraq immediately. Not in June. Not in August. Not in 2008
or later, but immediately. The first big step in this process was the
election. The next big step comes this Saturday, January 27th in
Washington, DC, San Francisco and elsewhere. Those cities are hosting
antiwar protests on that day with the demand Troops Out Now. If you
weren't planning on going to one of these protests, then you need to
reconsider. Put aside your personal plans and get on a bus, a train, a
plane or in a car and head to a protest. This is not a time to backslide
for us as citizens against the war or for the legislators we elected to
end the war. If we allow Messrs. Bush and Cheney to get away unchallenged
with their escalation, then we will most likely see these men and their
fellow extremists expand their war and destroy the freedoms we cherish.